Pico's, beach, Pyrenees, France

Deleted account Cooperman

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Recommendations for routes/accommodation for a 2 week trip:thumb2

Plan:

Ferry to Santander - stay in Picos

Into Pyrenees

Beach time somewhere above Barcelona?

Lazy return through some nice spots in France - along the coast?

Ferry back to Poole

Cheers :beerjug:
 
Puerto de la Selva is between Barcelona and the French border. It's away from the main tourist resorts, quieter and more laid back. We used it for a few days R and R a few years ago after a holiday in the Pyrenees. Good for chilling:cool

Torla is a nice town in the pyrenees in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park and although the town of Benasque isn't anything to write home about the 'Hospital de Benasque' set in a National Park outside the town is. It's a converted refuge in a beautiful setting and used to be reasonably priced.
 
+1 for Tossa...... nice place!

You guys are kidding aren't you :eek

Tossa is a tourist hell shit hole................................

Puerto de la Selva is between Barcelona and the French border. It's away from the main tourist resorts, quieter and more laid back. .

Defo lovely around here :thumb2

You might want to check out Cadaques and Port Llegat (spelling?) where Dali lived. That whole area is beautiful, where peeps from Barcelona go to get away from things and has some amazing biking roads over the hills to get to the area (to be fair the southbound road into Tossa is pretty special as well!).
The area is also set in the Cap de Creus national park which, in some places, is like being on another planet, with strange rock formations and lots of tracks disappearing off here and there.

All in all one of my fav parts of Spain :)

Andres
 
I did a similar route a few years ago, and had a great time. We stayed in paradores in Spain LINK which are big state-owned hotels in interesting buildings, and not paticularly cheap, but you can get discounts for multiple stays and have such a huge breakfast and lovely evening meal so save on lunch!

We rode down on that occasion, then stayed one night each in Cervera de Pisuerga, Sos del Rey Catolico, and Arties. We then stayed in France at St Chinian, then a little place near Vichy, and then home on a long motorway day.

We've stayed in Catalunya in previous years, riding across from Bilbao. The mountain roads are just brilliant in Catalunya. We stayed in a hotel in Tortosa for three nights and did luggage free day trips from there. A brilliant way to ride some brilliant roads. Two days in Catalunya, one day riding down to Maestrazgo, which is really beautiful and must be seen.

On an earlier previous trip we stayed in Peniscola, a little south of Catalunya, and it was a nice time but pretty much a standard Med resort.

All these trips were a week or so. With two weeks to play with, you'll be able to combine the various aspects easily.

Let me know if you want more details. I'm sure I can dig out routes and photos if necessary.



We spent a night
 
N260 from El Pont de Suert to Sort is stunning, I was on a sportsbike so stayed on the N260 which is plenty tight enough for a GS to be fun.

There are also lots of minor roads nearby you could mix in and out with the main road.

IMG_1438.jpg


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Better than B500 by a mile, up there with many of the top Alpine roads IMHO
 
Thanks for the feedback :thumb2

Not sure about :tosser de Mar :confused:

I'm sure I went there as a 16 year old with the lads and even then I knew I would not be back.

Time to look at some of the advice and plan into a route :JB

I may be back in touch ;)
 
N260 is indeed a lovely road, but the place is awash with great roads.

My particular favourite on a GS is in Catalunya: all the roads round La Bisbal de Falset, but particularly the T703 from Flix. Only a minor road, but we went just after the WRC had been through and the road had been relaid. Just about the perfect road - very hilly, tight bits, sweepy bits, reliably good weather in the summer. All the roads are just amazing. We stumbled on a village - might have bene Falset -holding a wine festival and had a great communal lunch affair in the village square. Just about a perfect biking day!

The road from Cantavieja (another great little village for a long lazy lunch) up through Villaluengo is another classic, but needs a GS because it is - how can I put this? - a little bumpy. The nearby Puerto do Villaroya, on the other hand, has a road that almost challenges the best Alpine passes, except warm, deserted and no cobbles! A road you just have to ride to the top, turn round, ride down, and then ride up again.

The ride from Tortosa to Lleida is just a superb longish fast thrash on perfect roads, although the police seem to have tightened up on the main roads. Loads of corners have recommended speed limits on them. This is really helpful: whatever the speed limit is in kph, you know it's easily achievable in mph.

God, I wish I was there now...
 
I did a similar route a few years ago, and had a great time. We stayed in paradores in Spain LINK which are big state-owned hotels in interesting buildings, and not paticularly cheap, but you can get discounts for multiple stays and have such a huge breakfast and lovely evening meal so save on lunch!

Dare not show the Mrs these Paradores. It will cost me a fortune :eek:

Look very good though :thumb

Plan coming together :D
 
Don't rush through the picos.:D
<a href="http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/daviboy08/summer09/?action=view&current=021.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/daviboy08/summer09/021.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Dave
 
Dare not show the Mrs these Paradores. It will cost me a fortune :eek:

Look very good though :thumb

Plan coming together :D

They're a bit more expensive than other hotels, but still only on a par with very much less luxurious UK stuff. If you join their loyalty card programme, called Amigos de Paradores (free, by the way) you can get special offers - five nights for the price of three, that sort of thing. Need not all be in the same parador.

I know it sounds snobby, but they are all very individual, very comfortable, guaranteed lovely meal in the evening - choice of olive oils for dipping your bread in - none of that Italina balsamic vinegar muck, just oil and salt -and a huge breakfast buffet in the morning. And the quality of the toiletries means you need to leave a little bit of room in your panniers. Just the thing for keeping one's pillion happy, and we all know what a happy pillion means. :thumb

Even if the rest of the trip you stay in cheaper accommodation, treat her to one night in a Parador. Of the ones I've seen, Cervera de Pisuerga near the Picos was the pick.

If you want to stay in the Parador in the Alhambra, you have to book years and years in advance.

On one of our trips, with a Yorkshireman, we found a fonda in Calatayud for 8 euros each! It was clean, if a little tatty.
 
I've been to Roses and stayed here: Hostal Rom - cheap and simple place but they have got a locked garage for bikes and self serve washing and tuble dry machines.

Roses is reasonably interesting place with some sight seeing and walks around. There are secluded beaches, e.g. Cala Murtra :) nearby and Cap de Creus mentioned above.
 
If you join their loyalty card programme, called Amigos de Paradores (free, by the way) you can get special offers - five nights for the price of three, that sort of thing. Need not all be in the same parador.

If you want to stay in the Parador in the Alhambra, you have to book years and years in advance.

Ckecked this out :thumb

The current offer is E105 per night i.e. E525 for 5 nights. Breakfast is not always included.

No chance of getting in the one on the coast above Barcelona + E300 per night :eek:
 
Don't rush through the picos.:D
<a href="http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/daviboy08/summer09/?action=view&current=021.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/daviboy08/summer09/021.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Dave

Where's that then? looks good and I'm heading to the Picos region in July.
 


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